What are some examples of lune poems?

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Quick Answer

Some examples of lune poems include "trees never wander / but still spread / across open fields" and "ask a question / get answer / something new learned." Lunes, which were devised by the American poet Robert Kelly, are a simplified form of the Japanese haiku poetic form. The standard lune has five syllables in the first and third lines and three in the second line.

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Lunes have no rules against rhyming and no proscriptions for theme or the use of a cutting word. This makes them ideal for inexperienced poets, since it frees their creativity from structural constraints and considerations.

For young students, the poet Jack Collom has simplified the lune form even further. Rather than counting the syllables, the Collom lune counts words, with the first and third lines having three words and the second line having five. Some examples include "when the sun's / rays hit the shades, it / lights up lines" and "go to heaven. / If it's nice, call me. / I'll be there."

Given their short length and standardized structure, lunes are easy to write quickly and many can be written in a single sitting. This can also have the effect of unleashing a poet's creativity, encouraging them to turn even the most mundane thought or sight into poetry.